


New Normal

by Softrockandshowtunesgirlscout22



Category: Star Wars, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: DameRey, Damerey babies, F/M, Future AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:54:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23187349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Softrockandshowtunesgirlscout22/pseuds/Softrockandshowtunesgirlscout22
Summary: Modern AU. Poe and Rey, their blended family and their new normal. Damerey one shots of them as parents and beyond. Characters are part of my Some Type of Love story but can be read on it's own.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Rey
Comments: 3
Kudos: 16





	1. Every Other Weekend

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AtLoLevad](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtLoLevad/gifts).



> Soooo... I couldn't help myself and had to write Poe and Rey with kids. If you haven't read Some Type of Love, not to worry, this can be read on it's own but in case it's a little confusing: Poe has two kids and he was previously married to Zorii but she's passed away and Rey had a baby with her boyfriend Hux before meeting Poe and his kids.  
> Anyways, this is fluff with a little bit of drama.  
> For AtLovead, because we all need Damerey babies fluff in our lives right now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Poe deal with a recent development on Rey and her ex’s weekend arrangements for her son while trying to raise their growing brood with all that comes with.

It was Sunday morning at 8 am and Rey knew the quiet would not last long. They had four kids after all. She could feel Poe’s warm body beside hers, on the other side, she turned to look at the small cot. The newest addition to their brood had begun to stir, Niko, was just 7 months old but still not old enough to be moved into a room with Jax, he still was feeding and they wanted to take a little time to transition. 

Rey smiled at her fiancé, their wedding plans had been stalled because they had been occupied with much more important matters like Leia’s health scare and Niko’s birth but they had been slowly getting back on track on their planning, thanks to Rose, Jesika, Karè and Kaydel. Rey had had a hard time believing everything that had changed in the last 3 years of her life since meeting Poe. 

It had seemed longer than that though, like she’d known him her entire life. She brushed his cheek softly with her finger and he stirred, mumbling something and trying to reach for her but she told him quietly to stay in bed. He opened his eyes though, and smiled at her. “Hey.” 

“Hi.” 

“I was going to take BB down and get started on breakfast..” She said. “You don’t need to get up..” 

“No, I do, I’m already awake anyway.” Poe said with a smile as he touched her face, mimicking her earlier caress. “How about I take BB and you get started on those famous pancakes?” 

“Sounds good.” He leaned to kiss her before she finally left the bed and picked Niko up, heading down calling for BB. Poe turned on his back, taking a moment to get up and face the day. 

He found Rey in the kitchen, the baby on the high chair but no sign still of the rest of the brood. “Come on buddy, let’s go…” He called for BB, the dog started jumping up and down, clearly excited to be taken out for a walk. Poe put on a hoodie and boots and headed out. There was not a soul in the street, Sunday was to sleep in, but he never been a heavy sleeper, even before having kids. He liked these morning walks with BB, which usually involved Kes, but today it seemed like he’d been unable to wake up from having stayed up late with him and Rey watching a movie like a big boy. Poe could hardly believe his fiery first born was almost 9, he’d grown, and would be probably taller than he had been as a teenager thanks to his grandfather’s genes. 

As soon as he got back to the house about 20 minutes later, it seemed the day had finally begun. There were voices coming from the kitchen as Rey tried to get the kids involved with breakfast.

“Oh hey BB!” Kes knelt down to say hello to his dog. 

“Hey buddy, we missed you.” Poe said sweetly, ruffling his son’s dark hair as the boy greeted him too. “Here how about you help me with his breakfast? while I get things moving here?” 

“Okay.” He groaned, Kes then made a very like Poe comment of how it was a big mistake staying up late and called his dog to the back of the yard to get his bowl. 

“Not denying that one is your son.” Rey mused at him as Poe greeted the only other girl in the family. Lulu was almost 6 now, she was one feisty little lady. Poe saw so much of Zorii in her which made him emotional when she said or did something that reminded him of his late wife.

Sometimes though, she would also take after Rey, even though he knew that wasn’t biologically possible. He knew though that Lulu admired her just as much and wanted to be just like her. 

“What time is Hux bringing Jax over?” Poe asked as he made a bottle for Niko as Rey continued to supervise Lulu with the mixing. 

“He said around 12, right before we leave.” 

They had a gathering to celebrate the christening of Karé and Snap’s new baby girl and it had been Hux’s weekend with Jax. One of the first ones now that Rey's ex boyfriend getting a new place to live with a room for his son. “We could go pick him up on our way there, you know?” 

“He’ll be here, okay? He promised since I told him were leaving. Give him the benefit of the doubt yeah? Jax was really excited about this weekend.” 

“I know, I know, just the guy gets on my nerves.” Poe said. “But for Jax, I’ll behave.” 

“Thank you, although you and Hux trying to be civil to each other isn’t something I like to miss out on.” Rey said mockingly as Poe grabbed a few chocolate chips from the bowl and put them in his mouth, much to Lulu’s annoyance. “Papi! You are not supposed to eat those, they are for the pancakes!” She rolled her eyes at him and Poe chuckled. 

“Sorry, sorry.” He raised his arms in defeat and when Lulu had turned around to focus on her task at hand, Poe kissed her cheek with a loud pop, which made her giggle. “No, no stop! Your beard itches!” She giggled in delight as his stubble scratched her cheek as he continued to kiss her even against her cute protest. 

“No, wait, BB!” Came Kes’s voice from the laundry room, the dog had apparently made a mess and ran away from the scene of the crime. “Bad dog, bad dog!” 

“Would you watch the fire and Niko please? BB, come here this instant!” Rey called for the dog who even though wasn’t a puppy anymore, apparently liked to be chased around even though he was in trouble. Poe moved to grab the baby from the chair so he could finish his bottle and supervised Lulu’s attempt at cooking. 

“Crisis averted?” He asked as she returned, Kes behind her. 

“For now yes, I swear that dog... “ 

“You love him.” Poe pointed out with a smile as he balanced Niko and tried flipping the few pancakes that were on the pan. 

“He’s a boy Mamma, boys are trouble.” Lulu said in a matter of facty and Rey agreed, but somehow her life had given her more boys than girls to care for and raise. “Next time, the baby has to be a girl, okay?” 

“Uh, next time?” Poe whispered to Rey, amused.

“Yeah, we need to even our numbers here…” Rey replied taking the baby from him. 

“Right, okay, so maybe twins and both of them will be girls?" Poe offered and Rey turned to him with a bemused smile. 

“Sure, but before there are any other babies around here Dameron, I need to make an honest man out of you.” 

“Oh, you do?” 

“Yeah, I need a ring in my finger before there’s any other child running around here, Or two.” 

“You got it.” He smirked as he followed her and Lulu into the dining room. He and Kes finished the rest of the pancakes as the girls set up the table. They ate as the kids talked excitedly about the party they were going to go to and the meal passed pretty quickly. Poe offered to take care of the dishes while Rey got them ready and then they would switch so they could take a shower and leave in time. 

“He’s all dressed and Lulu and Kes are warned about keeping themselves clean for the next 30 minutes…If they can manage.” Poe said as she came out of the bathroom, she could feel him staring at her. 

“What?” 

“Were you serious about before? About having more kids?” He asked. 

Rey moved closer, as Poe put the baby down on the playpen. “I was, I mean if you want, we can talk about it.” Poe was 32 and she was 25, it was only a matter of just how many more kids to have. Rey had never pictured herself as a mother until she had had Jax and met Poe, the fact that he had been her friend first and foremost before they were romantically involved and had helped her with caring for her son when she had been a first time mother had meant more to Rey than anything and it had also made her believe in family for the first time in her life. It had been quite the adventure getting to the point they found themselves at the moment, with their blended family which had turned out to be more than what Rey would have imagined of having after everything she had gone through with Hux and being in the system for so long growing up. 

But somehow it worked.

“Of course I’d love for us to have more kids Rey, I’d have a dozen with you if you asked me to.” 

“A dozen huh?” She said as she finished putting on some casual jeans and a blouse. 

“Well, we’re just getting started with our numbers, but I think we could make it work…” He said playfully as he pulled her closer for a kiss. "Even if we don't get to have another baby girl or two, but I've read, there might be ways." She winked at him and he bit his lip as she touched his chin.

“Of course, but we might need a bigger place.” He laughed. "We could always move in with Leia and Luke…” Poe offered. “She’s always offering after all.” 

“She’d keep them in line for sure…” Rey mused. “She did it for you when you were a kid and even managed for you and Ben not to kill each other.” 

“Yeah, for which I don’t think I give her enough credit for.” Poe said looking adoringly at her. “But, no seriously, I think having the kids around would do them good."

"Are you sure she didn’t want to come today?” 

“Yeah, she said she was too busy watering plants or something, but if you ask me. I think she didn’t want everyone to start talking about the big elephant in the room…” Poe said with a sigh. The last few months had been hard on Leia, even with Niko’s arrival to keep her spirits up, her diagnosis had kept her down for a few weeks now and it worried him how she was coping, but she was also lucky to have Luke to keep her on her toes. 

“Don’t worry. She’ll be fine. Dr. Se said she’d talk to us on Monday and we can all sit and discuss options.” 

“Right, because that’s all there is to do. Discuss.” 

“For now...” 

“You sound like Ben….” Poe countered and Rey rolled her eyes at him. 

“Do we even know what he sounds like anymore? You two refuse to talk to each other. He’s your brother Poe.” 

“Who doesn’t even bother to show up when he’s meant to.” He said. “Look, I don’t want us to argue about this anymore. All I’m saying is…” He’d broken the closeness and moved to the bathroom. “He could maybe pretend to care a little and not just send money to try and fix everything…” 

“Point taken, but money is needed too.” 

“And I have it, just not as much as Ben. All he has to care for is himself.” He said as the water began to run and he got inside, Rey took a peak on Niko’s direction to make sure everything was okay and got in the bathroom after him. 

“See? He might not be a people’s person, but Ben’s way to care is doing the only thing he knows to do and that’s fine too. Not everyone can be like you.” 

“Like me?” 

“Yeah, not everyone cares the way you do.” Rey said. “That’s one of the things that made me fall in love with you.” 

“Is that so huh?” He called from the shower, opening the door slowly to offer her a smile. 

“It is.” She gave him a quick kiss, making sure his dark curls didn’t drip on her dry clothes and smiled. “Now hurry up. I’ll go check on the kids while you finish getting ready.” 

* * *

Hux arrived just as they were about to leave and Poe had to fight the urge to roll his eyes at him, Rey had shot him a look though, in which she’d begged him to behave like he’d promised. “I’ll pick him up from daycare next Friday then.” Hux said as he greeted Rey. They were civil, friendly even, and she knew it bothered Poe a little, but Hux was a part of her life she couldn’t really shake, nor Poe had asked her to. He knew how important it was for a little boy to have his father around. 

“Come on buddy, go on inside and change or we’ll be late.” Rey instructed her son as he greeted Poe excitedly and waved his Daddy goodbye. The former pilot caught the little boy just in time as he babbled away all he’d done during his weekend and carried him inside, with one last wave at Hux. 

“Thank you.” Rey whispered to Poe with a kiss to the side of his neck once Hux had driven away. He smiled with resignation, as long as Hux didn’t dare to hurt either Jax or Rey, he’d deal with the guy anytime. 

* * *

With four kids in the back seat of his speeder, the Dameron clan headed over to Snap’s home. Their friends romance had come as a surprise to them at first but they were happy for them, for their wedding the previous year and the birth of their little girl. 

“One, two, three, four..” Poe counted as he opened the back door, Niko in his arms as the kids took for a run towards the yard. 

“Good, you are here.” Finn smiled at his best friend. “I was starting to think you’d ditched me.” 

“Ditched you?” Poe laughed. "What's wrong?" 

“Rose is hormonal man, I’ve forgotten how that was, she’s…” 

“All over you?” Poe mused. 

“No, she won’t go near me.” Finn replied. “She's just... annoyed. Remind me not to have another kid please.” Poe patted him on the back as he followed Finn into the yard, Rey beside him as she said her hellos. 

The day went by rather quickly, with Poe and Rey pretty busy keeping an eye on four kids. There was a moment though that Rey was finally able to sit down, the kids were all playing water wars as she held Niko in her arms. She laughed at the sight of Paige and Lulu ganging on Poe and him going down on the ground, then Jax and Kes joining in, not even Poe could fight that. 

“You seem happy.” A voice said beside her. It was Karé, she held baby Kriss in her arms. 

“I am I guess, how about you? I can’t believe this little lady’s gotten so big.” Rey grabbed the little girl’s arm gently. 

“And this guy?” Karé said of Niko. “I swear, Poe’s genes are strong, all of the kids look like him.” 

Rey smiled. “Yeah, if I hadn’t given birth to him I’d question it.”

“And how’s the wedding stuff going?” 

“It’s not, Leia offered her house for the reception which I think it’s good on us with the costs of everything but that's it.” 

"Oh, I really thought you guys would have decided by now!" Karé said, more dramatically than intended which made Rey laugh. 

“No, we’ve been occupied…” Rey mused. “But we’re not in a hurry either. We’re married already, a paper isn’t going to change anything.” 

Karé turned to look at Snap who was begging her for help as Kes and Paige held him down and threw water at him. “And how are things with Hux?” 

“He says Jax is adapting to his new apartment, which I’m glad he’s finally gotten something of his own.” 

“Took him long enough.” Karé said. “But I guess he’s finally growing up, huh?” 

“Despite of himself.” Rey said, a tone of weariness in her voice. “I just want him to be happy you know? That’s all I ever wanted for him. And I think having Jax has finally taught him what’s important.” 

“I’m happy for him and you. It looks like the two of you and Poe are in a good place?” 

“Yeah, he’s been really understanding about the whole thing.” 

“I don’t know if I’d be honestly…” 

“Well, it’s not easy but our priority will always be Jax, his kids. Even before we started dating we made that decision.” Rey said. “I feel like there’s someone who would understand it, it would be Poe, you know?” 

“Right and Kes and Lulu?” 

“They’re wonderful.” Rey said. “I have no complaints.” 

“You really hit the jackpot with that one, didn’t you?” Karé said, smiling as they both turned to watch the boys continue playing with the kids. 

“And what about Snap?” 

“I did too then. This little lady has him wrapped around his finger.” Karé said kissing the baby’s hair gently. 

“Urgh, remind me not to get pregnant again…” A frustrated Rose collapsed on a chair besides Rey a moment later. “Ever.” 

“You aren’t feeling any better?” Karé said. “Maybe you should go home…” 

“No, no, it’s good for Paige and Sophie to be out, I’ve been too sick to do anything else than staying at home.” 

“I’m sorry, but it won’t be long now... will it?" 

“No, two weeks or so to go.” Rose said, touching her belly. “This one better be a boy so we can be done.” 

“Finn really wants a boy?” 

“He’d love it, but if he’s got another little girl, he’d be equally happy.” Rose said. “But between you and me? I’d love a little boy.” 

“Third one is the charm I guess.” Rey said. “Lulu’s certainly excited about the prospect of having a little sister in the foreseeable future. Says she's done with boys." Her two friends stared at her. “Poe and I are talking about it, I’m not pregnant.” 

“Oh, you better be careful then, when you are breastfeeding you can turn out to be extremely fertile.” Rose said. "Take it from me. I am not letting Finn near me for the upcoming months." 

* * *

“Three kids in bed in half an hour. I think I’ve broken my own record.” Poe mused, collapsing in bed. Rey was feeding Niko before putting him to bed. 

“Today was a good day, wasn’t it?” Rey said to him. 

“It was.” A smile appeared on his face as he leaned to kiss her. “Jax seemed happy about having his own room at the apartment.” 

“Oh, he told you?” 

“In not so many words, but yeah.” Poe said as he kissed her again and left the bed for the bathroom. 

“I’m happy for Hux, it’s big step for him.” Rey said. “And it offers Jax a little stability.” 

“I thought that was our job?” Poe said, his tone soft but a little hurt. 

“No, it is, but I think it’s good for him to have his own space over there too.” Rey said putting Niko down on the cot beside the bed and getting under the covers while Poe moved to grab an old shirt and slipped in as well. Rey could feel his stare on her. “What?” 

“Nothing, I’m just admiring my future wife. Is that wrong?” 

“No, it’s not..” She mused, leaning to kiss him softly, Poe responded quickly, pulling her closer. “But we’re okay, right?” 

“About what?” He said, against her neck. 

“About Hux?” 

“Do we really have to talk about him right now?” Poe groaned, pulling away, his eyes were dark and longing. 

“Yeah, because this whole thing is new and I’m still wondering if I made the right choice.” 

“You are doing what you think it’s best for Jax, that should tell you all you need to know.” He said, kissing her shoulder. 

“I know, but..” 

“Rey, baby, I’m trying to distract you here but your brain going haywire isn’t helping…” Poe mused. Rey stared at him, he had a sad puppy look on his eyes she couldn’t really say not to. She leaned to kiss him deeply. Rey knew he was right, this was new but like everything in her life, she’d eventually be okay with it. 

After all, this was her life now. 

Her new normal.   
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Reminisce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damerey. About a decade after Some Type of Love. There are just some days a year where they come together as a family and remember. And love.

Poe cannot believe this is his life now. 10 years ago he was a widower with two young kids. Today he is a father of more kids than he is guessed to be able to handle, although he and Rey are more than capable of dealing with their brood. Mixed family, even with exes and grandparents and siblings.

It’s something that for him, it’s been normal for more than a decade. A decade without Zorii. A decade of missing her. Not that he should feel guilty of moving on with is life. His children needed it and he did too, he needed to heal and to learn and to love again and Rey had given him that. He’d given him a second chance.  
“Are you ready?” Her voice is gentle as she calls for him. He’s arranging his tie and trying to fix his mix of dark and grey hair that he’s gotten. He’s young still but the grey hair makes him look distinguished or so Rey says. Today is the anniversary of the day he lost Zorii and he’s made it his mission to make it an occasion, one he can share with Kes and Lulu and the rest of the kids.  
With Rey, actually, she’s the one who pushes him to do it. She says she would have loved to have met Zorii and Poe guesses they would have gotten along great. It’s wishful thinking because, if she was still here, he’d probably wouldn’t have met Rey and would have ended with a completely different life.  
“Mom, a little help?” Kes is 14. And he calls Rey Mom because he had asked her if he could when he was 10. Lulu did early but it took him a little longer to give her a place like that in his heart, because he was older and he actually had memories of Zorii, even if they were faint now, Poe would always try and share stories, anecdotes with him and Lulu to keep their mother’s memory alive.  
Zorii’s parents are coming too because it’s a thing they do, Poe had laid the rules early on, his kids would always have access to their grandparents and viceversa and they had never tried to undermine him and he appreciated that more than anything. They gave him his place as their son in law and the father of their grandkids.

  
The little ones aren’t coming along, so Poe has enlisted Luke’s help for babysitting duties. Leia has to be there though, she’s been countless times supporting Poe, she is his mother after all.  
He then thinks of his parents. Of his guardian, of all the people he’s lost and everyone he’s also gained. “Don’t you look handsome? Do you know if your sister is ready?” Kes shrugges and Rey smiles, a hand to his cheek and she leaves the room and there’s only him and Poe left. “How are you doing buddy?”  
“I’m good, it’s a weird day, but I’m glad grandpa decided to let us stay with him and grandma for the weekend.”  
“Yeah, it will do them good to have you guys around, it’s a strange time for all of us for sure.” He smiles softly, a hand to Kes’s shoulder as he leaves the room and follows the voices of the women in his life.  
Lulu sits in her bed, Rey beside her, brushing her hair softly. His daughter is 11. Not quite a little girl anymore but has yet to leave childhood behind. He taps on the door softly. “Hey you two, everything okay?”  
“Oh yeah, we’re just having a moment.”  
“Papi, which one do you think we should take this time?” Offers Lulu, two framed pictures of Zorii in her hands. One of them is one of the last ones he ever took of her. It was one perfect day at the beach with the kids before she went on her mission.  
The mission that took her away from him.  
The other one is one from her first days at the academy, before she and Poe were even friends. It still surprised him that he had been lucky enough to have Zorii Bliss look his way. Poe walks closer to Lulu and touches the wooden frame. “I think this one.”  
“It’s one of my favorite too.” Lulu smiles at the picture. The young girl sometimes looks at herself in the mirror and can only see her mother. And Poe has always been aware of that.  
“Guys, Uncle Luke is here.” There’s another small frame by the door. Now it’s Jax, he’s almost 8 now, and his hair has turned dark brunette, a little bit of red sticks out too. He’s a mix of Rey and Hux and that’s okay, granted, the guy isn’t Poe’s favorite person but he’s been doing his part in raising the inquisitive sweet boy Poe loves just as much the rest of the kids.  
“I’ll go, you two finish up here.” Poe smiles at both his girls, it’s strange but he and Rey seem to be able to only make boys. Niko and Bey are clear proof of that. He tells himself they better stop having kids now, before they are way over their heads, but it’s still not completely ruled out either.  
He’d told Rey after all, they could have a dozen kids if she wanted to and he meant it.

  
Luke Skywalker doesn’t seem to age, at least he doesn’t seem to have, even he’s the same age as Leia, he hasn’t had cancer and Leia has survived the damn thing twice. She is a warrior and she’s still putting him in his place even though Poe is a grown man.  
“Good to see you kid.”  
“Thanks for doing this. I knew Leia wanted us to bring the kids over but, it’s just a lot more hustle.”  
“Oh, of course, if my sister had her way, she would have made you move to the house a long time ago. This is fine, it’s just a few hours.”  
“With 3 small boys.”  
“And what do you think men are? They are not that different from boys and I’ve raised a few, I can handle it.” Poe smiles, because even though Luke’s retired from the army, he could still be pretty intimidating when he needed to.  
“Fine, I’m just saying…” And just like that, two small boys come chasing each other. Niko is such a big boy now. He’s 5 and so smart. And baby Bey, he’s the one who’s keeping them on their toes now at two.  
“Hey, boys, boys... “ Poe calls, so they can say hello to Luke, they both charge against their Uncle Luke with hugs.  
“You sure you’ll be alright?” Comes Rey’s voice as she’s followed by Kes and Lulu who seem to be ready to go, and suddenly Poe feels his chest heavy.  
“Hello to you too Rey and yes. I’ll be fine. We’re going to make lunch and then we’ll see what I can come up with. Plus Jax can help me.” Luke’s got Bey in his arms. “You all go, and tell your Mom and I’m thinking of her.” He tells Lulu and Kes who nod as they say their goodbyes joined by Jax.

Rey knows the weight of what happened to Zorii is still heavy for her husband, but she loves him and respects him for loving both of them so much, she’d never known of a love like that until she met Poe and his family. Rey figures it’s almost the same thing for Leia. Poe might not have her blood but he’s as much her son as Ben.  
She reaches for his hand because she feels like he needs it and squeezes it gently, he’s driving, focused on the road ahead of him because she knows he’s thinking on what to tell Zorii today. He does that when they go see her, tells her about Rey and the kids and his new job as a teacher. This is only a recent development as she is finishing her degree and and with that job, he has more free time to stay home with the kids. Rey didn’t think possible to have finished school at 28, but Poe had helped her achieve that, by being supportive and education is important to both of them.  
He’s an engineering teacher at the local university and he loves it. It makes him happy, more than being at the control tower ever did, but not as happy as flying and Rey knows that. But she also knows he sometimes takes a spin on Han’s Falcon because he needs to and sometimes, he takes her with him, a little of alone time for them both.  
“What are you thinking about?” She asks, her hand brushing the back of his neck, his hair is a little longer than usual and he’s been promising to get it trimmed but secretly Rey loves it that way.  
“Nothing, nothing…. I was thinking maybe we could have Zack and Kari over for dinner next week?”  
“Sure, as long as you are cooking.” She tries to lighten the mood and he smiles.  
“Don’t I always?”  
“Yes, maybe that’s why I married you.” She kisses his cheek, her eyes focus on Kes and Lulu for a moment, their both on their business, much like Poe, very pensive on the day and the sadness surrounding it.

  
“Rey honey.” Kari is as kind as always and Rey hugs her warmly. Zack is a little more kept to himself but he is nice too as he calls for his grandkids, after greeting her. Poe stays a little back as the kids approach the stone with their grandparents.  
Rey offers Poe her hand again and he leans his head against hers since they are almost the same height. His wife is the one to pull him ahead once the kids back up a bit with Zack and Kari and suddenly he doesn’t want to be alone.  
“I’ll be right over there, okay?” She says, a kiss to his cheek, but she feels him pulling her hand.  
“No wait, you don’t have to, I want you to stay. Please.” He sounds, scared? Rey does as she’s told and just stands beside him.  
Because he needs her and she’d do anything for him just like he’d do for her.   
Leia arrives soon after they do. The woman who raised him longer than Shara Bey. He cannot quite choose on who is that takes most of the credit because he has so much of them in him, just like he feels his kids do of Rey or Jax has taken after him. It’s more than blood. Family is sometimes more than that.  
She first goes to Lulu and Kes. who love their grandmother so much. She’s dedicated the last decade of her life entirely to them and they adore her as much as she does them.  
Poe wipes a tear away from his cheek as she stands beside him. “You don’t have to hide from me kid. I know how you feel.”  
They had lost Han when Lulu was a baby, and the emptiness of the longing for his adoptive father was felt in all directions. From Leia to Poe to Ben, Ben’s relationship with his mother had worsened when they had lost him and it had never been the same again. “I know how longing can hurt. What loss does to you.”  
Yes, she does. And Poe does too, they were broken people who had come into each other’s lives in extreme circumstances of life. Much like him and Rey.  
They stay in silence for a little longer, until he feels Leia give his hand a light squeeze, Rey had given them a moment alone but she’s back beside him, with Kes and Lulu close behind her.   
“I told her about my recital.” Lulu says. She’s been working hard on that. Her father as her teacher, it’s his Yavenise blood, he has an easy way for dancing. Rey wraps her arms around the little girl’s neck from behind and kisses her forehead.  
“I wrote her a song, but it’s not really good.” Kes is the musical one, like Poe had been as a young man. He still loves music and plays guitar when he can, he serenades Rey and sings his kids to sleep when he’s asked to. Kes, of course assured by every relative on how good he is, but it’s hard for him to grasp it still.  
“Would you play it for us soon?” Rey offers, and Kes nods.  
The artistic dancing Lulu got from her mother. Music comes from him and all the bravery that his kids show daily as they go about their day with a smile, it’s something that amazes Poe but doesn’t surprise him at all.  
Kes has even began to work at a shelter Downtown in the weekend, at it reminds Poe of when he met Rey. Or where he met Rey.  
“What did you talked to her about Papi?” Lulu asks Poe. He loves that she still calls him that. Kes is a little reluctant nowadays but still calls him Pa, or Pops, which is as good as any. He just wishes his kids cherish where they come from like Poe has tried to do in the last 30 years of his life.  
“You kids, and Rey and our lives this year… how much you two have grown and how I know she’s so proud of the amazing people you are becoming.”  
Lulu smiles, moving to come into her father’s embrace.  
Poe kisses her forehead and they all stay like that, in each other’s presence and embrace. Rey has now her arms around Kes like she had on Lulu and there’s nothing else to say.  
Just reminisce.


	3. Growing Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kes considered himself a regular almost 14 year old. Just starting high school after the summer. A growing up Kes and Damerey domestic fluff!

Kes considered himself a regular almost 14 year old. About to start high school after the summer, he enjoyed what other kids did and prided himself on being a good son and brother to his siblings, he now had enough of them to count them with his hand, his father had married Rey when he was 8. His sister had taken to her straight away but it had taken him a little longer to warm up to her, not that he didn’t like her, because he did, Rey wasn’t your regular stepmother, she understood him better than most did, and he knew she genuinely loved him and Lulu from the start, but if he was being honest, when he was younger, he felt as if he was betraying his Mom by loving Rey as much as Lulu or his Papa did. But Rey knew how much he loved her in his own way and just how grateful he was that she and Jax had come into their lives when they did. 

“Hey Dameron, you on for the party?” His friend Oz, had caught up with him outside school as he was waiting for Rey to do pick up. “Suzy says it will be epic, only her older brother to supervise.” Oz was his best friend since the second grade, right after he had moved districts in the city and changed schools. “You did ask your parents, didn’t you?”

He hadn’t. Both had had a lot on their plates with summer coming, Rey was finishing her degree and his father was way over his head at the university with finals, see, Poe Dameron had changed careers these last few years, he didn’t work at the control tower anymore, no, he was Professor Dameron now and he was barely surviving the end of the school year mostly like Kes was honestly, his Papa would joke, that teaching was like going back to school late in life, he had to learn everything again in order to teach. 

Kes shrugged. “I’ll tell them tonight man, I promise…” 

“You better, you aren’t leaving me to suffer alone.” Oz mused. He was already 14, and he considered this to be a rite of passage into adolescence, Kes wasn’t so sure he was as ready as Oz was though. 

Rey parked just in front of where Kes was sitting as Oz had turned his attention to the game he was playing on his phone, Kes let out a sigh as he made sure he had everything and made a sign for his friend that it was time to get in the car, Oz was almost a part of the Dameron family now, as an only child, it was mostly where he got all the sibling attention and overbearing he could possibly need. 

The car was of course overcrowded with two car seats and the back row long enough to fit him and Oz, if his parents were to have another child at some point, rides to school for his friend would have to be rethinked. 

Lulu of course sat in the front with the seatbelt on as to make her place known and Jax sat in the back row with them while Niko and Bey occupied their respective car seats. “Hey boys, how was school?” Rey asked, turning back for a moment. “Two more weeks and then you’ll be high schoolers huh?” 

“You are forgetting the insufferable two months in between.” Oz said and Kes rolled his eyes, Oz couldn’t wait to be a Highschool freshman, Kes just couldn’t wait for summer. His friend clearly didn’t have his priorities sorted out, but Kes figured it was because he was barely home during summer break as his parents would send him to a summer camp somewhere for 6 weeks and they were barely able to see each other for the entire holiday. 

“Right, I’m sorry, my bad.” Rey mused as she winked at Kes. 

* * *

They dropped off Oz and headed home after picking up something for dinner, with his Papa preparing for finals, he had barely any time to cook and he didn’t allow Rey in the kitchen, except for baking. 

Her cookies were the best, not that Kes would admit that to his grandma. 

“Poe? We’re home!” His father had only had half day at the university so it was a fact he was home, his bike and L’ulo’s old speeder were clear indication of that. BB had beat Poe to be the first one to greet them, he was no longer a puppy but an 8 year old dog with years of wisdom in him, far from the skinny dog his Papa had rescued in the back of their apartment all those years ago. 

Another set of paws were heard not too far behind, Dio, was the newest addition to their family, a small mixed breed, just like BB, but unlike him, he was a full on pup and craved to be played with to burn down energy. He was a rescue they had brought home just a few months before on Rey’s birthday. 

“Hey buddy, come here, you want to go outside, don’t you? Jax honey, why don’t you and Lulu take them out for a walk, Kes, would you go with them?” 

Of course he had to, he was the oldest, he nodded, shoving his bag to the side of the stairs. “Sure, come on guys, before it gets dark, come on BB, Dio.” Kes led the way as Lulu and Jax who loved to go on walks with the dogs agreed happily, it was their special sibling activity, just as they were about to leave though, Kes spotted his Papa, he looked tired as he took off a pair of glasses he wore to read proof papers and greeted Rey with a kiss while trying to defend himself from Bey and Niko, he waved at the kids and they waved back. 

Kes loved these late afternoon walks, like the ones he usually took with his Papa Saturday mornings. 

By the time they made it back, it had gone a little dark and they got ready for dinner, it was early enough so that they could do their homework and go to bed on time. Jax of course had announced he was done with his assignment since before Rey had picked him up from school and Lulu said she had almost none as most teachers just wanted to be done with school and begin summer. 

Kes wanted that too, but he also dreaded leaving junior high, even though he still had two months to torture himself over that prospect, right now, he had to deal with telling his parents about the party. “What’s on your mind bud?” 

He swore, it was like Rey could hear his thoughts somehow. “Um.. well, there’s this party Oz invited me to.” 

There, he’d gone and said it. 

“Is it his party?” Poe asked. Kes glanced around the table and back at his plate. 

“No, a kid’s from our grade. It was her birthday a few days ago and she wants us to get together before everyone goes on break because some are leaving school once we graduate.” Kes hoped that would had done the trick, the old, growing up and leaving friendships behind. “It’s Suzy’s…” 

Rey and Poe looked at each other. “When is it?” 

“Saturday.” 

That gave them 3 days to think about it. 

“We’ll discuss it Friday, okay? Right now you need to focus on finals.” Poe said. It sounded like a final decision and he’d have to live with it for as long it took them to decide. 

* * *

“Did he sound, I don’t know, suspicious to you?” Poe asked Rey as they got ready for bed that night. 

“What? Kes... no, more like he sounded nervous.” 

“Like he didn’t want to tell us about it, right?” 

“You think he’s lying?” Rey asked. Poe sighed. “No, he’s Kes.” 

“I didn’t lie either Rey, not until I got into high school and fell for a girl, Han could read me through but I did my share of rule breaking at his age…” Poe admitted. Honestly, he hoped he’d have to wait a little longer to deal with Kes and girls but if this was what it was about… 

“Oh, you did now?” Rey smirked. Even with their seven year difference, the two of them had had a very different upbringing, that had one denominator in common. They both had been orphaned at an early age, even if Poe had had it easier than Rey, he’d honestly thanked the gods for Han and Leia everyday. 

“Yeah, and if he’s anything like me or even anything like Zorii, we’re in big trouble.” Poe laughed. They were settled now in bed, with Poe trying to read the hundredth paper he had assigned his students and Rey took the opportunity to play with his curls, he was still in his 30’s but his dark hair had now taken a little of grey. 

“Well, he did say this was a girl’s party….” Rey said. She was a little distracted by Poe and his look with his newly acquired reading glasses. “So, maybe he likes her?” 

“He must definitely like her.” Poe said, feeling as Rey was starting to curl up closer to him in bed. He knew all she wanted to do was to distract him but he had to finish his grading, but it was getting really hard to concentrate, “Rey, Kriff, I have to finish these…” He turned to look at her at and she pouted at him, much like Niko or Bey would do. “I’m sorry but…”His but was cutt off by her hand on his cheek and her pulling him in for a kiss and Poe tossed the paper to the side as he responded to her kiss, finally giving in, in truth, these were the only moments they had alone now, away from their energetic brood. “Satisfied there Mrs. Dameron?” Poe said playfully as they broke apart for air. 

“Not quite, but I’ll leave it be for now.” She countered. “What should we do about Kes then?” 

“Well, my guess is that Oz is going too and she’s turning 14 so there’s probably going to be parents or some kind of adult supervision..” 

“Maybe we should check in with her parents?” 

“Are we one of those people?” Poe flinched. Not even Leia was that kind of a parent to him or Ben, not that he had any kind of a social life growing up. 

“No. Ugh, no...We should trust Kes right? If we go ahead and ask…” 

“We could embarrass him before he’s even entitled to be embarrassed on his own.” Poe joked. Still, they would wait until Saturday to let him know he was allowed to go. 

* * *

“Kes, hi.” A voice said behind him as he walked over to pick up. It was Suzy “So, Oz told me you are thinking about going to the party?” 

“Yeah, um, hi. My parents are thinking about it because of finals but if I can, I’ll be there.” He said with the bravest smile he could muster. 

“Oh you have to, I mean I know Oz probably told you it was only going to be my brother around, but no, that’s not… well my parents didn’t think it was appropriate.” Suzy said. “So, they, uh, they are coming early from their trip to actually be on my birthday party. ” She sounded happy, in all the time he'd known Suzy, she'd always complained about her parents being too busy for anything. Kind of reminded him of Oz but unlike him, the prospect of having her parents around for the party actually made her be excited about it. 

"Oh hey, that's great, I mean that they'll be able able to celebrate with you..." He gave her a trademark Dameron smile. 

Suzy smiled and... maybe blushed?

”Yeah, they said something about not missing life’s moments or something…"

Kes knew a little about that, he remember the last night he’d seen his Mom alive and the next having his Papa tell him she was gone. 

“Anyway, I hope you can make it, I’ll try and still make it fun even if my parents are in the house.” Suzy said with a bit of her lip and Kes found himself staring at her.

"Come on, it will be great, I'll see you there." 

"Great, at least it will help us keep our minds from finals, right?" 

“So much for that passage to adolescence huh?” Oz mused, they were gathered in Suzy’s backyard, she had a huge house, her parents being some hot shots for The Republic or something. “And to think we could have had our first no parents party.” 

Kes sighed, honestly, he was glad to not having to care for Oz who had began to taste what it felt like being a teenager, Rey had said that it was a cry for his parent’s attention because he was mostly alone or not listened to. "Someday man." 

It made Kes grateful to have his parents being who they were. The kind of parents that that Sunday, gathered all the kids in the yard and organized the official opening of summer with a water gun fight. 

Yeah, maybe Kes was a regular almost fourteen year old, but somehow he wanted to wait a little before he had to actually grow up.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, as always mistakes are mine!


End file.
